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Washington Irving 



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The Legend of 
Sleepy Hollow 



Designed and 
hand colored by 
Lolita Ferine 




Published in New York by 
Dodge Publishing Company 



Copyright, igoj, by Dodge Publishing Co. 






I CONGRESS. 
Onf Oopy ReoEivR) 

NCV, : 1903 

CLASS ^ XXa No 



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pleasing land of 
drowsy head it was, 
Of dreams that wave before 

the half-shut eye; 
And of gay castles in the 

clouds that pass, 
Forever flushing round a 
summer sky. 



— Castle of Indolence 



The Legend of Sleepy Hollo^v 



N the bosom of those 
spacious coves which 
indent the eastern shore of 
the Hudson, at that broad ex- 
pansion of the river denominated 
by the ancient Dutch naviga- 
tors the Tappan Zee, and where 
they always prudently shorten- 
ed sail, and implored the pro- 
tection of St. Nicholas when 
they crossed, there lies a small 
market town or rural port, 
which by some is called 
Greensburgh, but which is more 
generally and properly known by 
the name of Tarry Town. This 



V^Ni 



2 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 

name was given we are told, in former, days by 
the good housewives of the adjacent country 
from the inveterate propensity of their hus- 
bands to linger about the village tavern on 
market days. Be that as it may, I do not 
vouch for the fact, but merely advert to it, for 
the sake of being precise and authentic. Not 
far from this village, perhaps about two 
miles, there is a little valley, or rather lap of 
land among high hills, which is one of the 
quietest places in the whole world. A small 
brook glides through it, with just murmur 
enough to lull one to repose; and the occa- 
sional whistle of a quail, or tapping of a 
woodpecker, is almost the only sound that 
ever breaks in upon the uniform tranquility. 

I recollect that, when a stripling, my first 
exploit in squirrel-shooting was in a grove of 
tall walnut-trees that shades one side of the 
valley. I had wandered into it at noon-time, 
when all nature is peculiarly quiet, and was 
startled by the roar of my own gun, as it broke 
the sabbath stillness around, and was pro- 
longed and reverberated by the angry echoes. 
If ever I should wish for a retreat whither I 
might steal from the world and its distractions, 
and dream quietly away the remnant of a 



,0CfW! 



^*S> 



The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 3 

troubled life, I know of none more promising 
than this little valley. 

From the listless repose of the place, and the 
peculiar character of its inhabitants, who are 
descendants from the original Dutch settlers, 
this sequestered glen has long been known by 
the name of Sleepy Hollow, and its rustic lads 
are called the Sleepy Hollow Boys throughout 
all the neighboring country. A drowsy, 
dreamy influence seems to hang over the land, 
and to pervade the very atmosphere. Some 
say that the place was bewitched by a high 
German doctor, during the early days of the 
settlement; others, that an old Indian chief, 
the prophet or wizard of his tribe, held his 
powwows there before the country was dis- 
covered by Master Hendrick Hudson. Cer- 
tain it is the place still continues under the 
sway of some witching power, that holds a 
spell over the minds of the good people, causing 
them to walk in a continual reverie. They 
are given to all kinds of marvelous beliefs; 
are subject to trances and visions, and fre- 
quently see strange sights, and hear music and 
voices in the air. The whole neighborhood 
abounds with local tales, haunted spots, and 
twilight superstitions; stars shoot and meteors 
glare oftener across the valley than in any 



abA>ii«ib*« 



4 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 

other part of the country, and the night-mare, 
with her whole nine fold, seems to make it the 
favorite scene of her gambols. 

The dominant spirit, however, that haunts 
this enchanted region, and seems to be com- 
mander-in-chief of all the powers of the air 
is the apparition of a figure on horseback 
without a head. It is said by some to be the 
ghost of a Hessian trooper, whose head had 
been carried away by a cannon-ball, in some 
nameless battle during the Revolutionary 
War, and who is ever and anon seen by the 
coimtry folk, hurrying along in the gloom of 
night, as if on the wings of the wind. His 
haunts are not confined to the valley, but 
extend at times to the adjacent roads, and 
especially to the vicinity of a church at no 
great distance. Indeed, certain of the most 
authentic historians of those parts, who have 
been careful in collecting and collating the 
floating facts concerning this spectre, allege, 
that the body of the trooper having been 
buried in the churchyard, the ghost rides forth 
to the scene of battle in nightly quest of his 
head, and that the rushing speed with which 
he sometimes passes along the hollow, like a 
midnight blast, is owing to his being belated, 




mention this peaceful spot 
with all laud; for it is in 
such little retired Dutch valleys, 
found here and there embosomed 
in the great State of New York, 
that population, manners, and cus- 
toms remain fixed, while the great 
torrent of migration and improve- 
ment, which is making such in- 
cessant changes in other parts of 
this restless country, sweeps by 
them unobserved. 



©^5p<» 



The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 5 

and in a hurry to get back to the churchyard 
before daybreak. 

Such is the general purport of this legendary 
superstition, which has furnished materials 
for many a wild story in that region of shad- 
ows; and the spectre is known at all the coun- 
try firesides, by the name of The Headless 
Horseman of Sleepy Hollow. 

It is remarkable that the visionary pro- 
pensity I have mentioned is not confined to 
the native inhabitants of the valley, but is 
unconsciously imbibed by every one who 
resides there for a time. However wide 
awake they may have been before they 
entered that sleepy region, they are sure, in a 
little time, to inhale the witching influence of 
the air, and begin to grow imaginative — to 
dream dreams, and see apparitions. 

I mention this peaceful spot with all laud; 
for it is in such little retired Dutch valleys, 
found here and there embosomed in the great 
State of New York, that population, manners, 
and customs remain fixed, while the great 
torrent of migration and improvement, which 
is making such incessant changes in other 
parts of this restless country, sweeps by them 
unobserved. They are like those little nooks 
of still water, which border a rapid stream, 



^m ^^^H^^k^l 




6 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 

where we may see the straw and bubble riding 
quietly at anchor, or slowly revolving in their 
mimic harbor, undisturbed by the rush of the 
passing current. Though many years have 
elapsed since I trod the drowsy shades of 
Sleepy Hollow, yet I question whether I should 
not still find the same trees and the same fam- 
ilies vegetating in its sheltered bosom. 

In this by-place of nature there abode, in a 
remote period of American history, that is to 
say, some thirty years since, a worthy wight 
of the name of Ichabod Crane, who sojourned, 
or, as he expressed it, "tarried," in Sleepy 
Hollow, for the purpose of instructing the 
children of the vicinity. He was a native of 
Connecticut, a State which supplies the Union 
with pioneers for the mind as weU as for the 
forest, and sends forth yearly its legions of 
frontier woodsmen and cotmtry school-mas- 
ters. The cognomen of Crane was not inap- 
plicable to his person. He was tall, but ex- 
ceedingly lank, with narrow shoulders, long 
arms and legs, hands that dangled a mile out 
of his sleeves, feet that might have served for 
shovels, and his whole frame most loosely 
himg together. His head was small, and flat 
at top, with huge ears, large green glassy eyes, 
and a long snipe nose, so that it looked like a 



B'^^r 



The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 7 

weathercock perched upon his spindle neck, to 
tell which way the wind blew. To see him 
striding along the profile of a hill on a windy 
day, with his clothes bagging and fluttering 
about him, one might have mistaken him for 
the genius of famine descending upon the 
earth, or some scarecrow eloped from a corn- 
field. 

His schoolhouse was a low building of one 
large room, rudely constructed of logs; the 
windows partly glazed, and partly patched 
with leaves of old copy-books. It was most 
ingeniously secured at vacant hours by a 
withe twisted in the handle of the door, and 
stakes set against the window-shutters; so 
that though a thief might get in with perfect 
ease, he would find some embarrassment in get- 
ting out, — an idea most probably borrowed by 
the architect, Yost VanHouten, from the mys- 
tery of an eelpot. The schoolhouse stood in a 
rather lonely but pleasant situation, just at 
the foot of a woody hill, with a brook running 
close by, and a formidable birch-tree growing 
at one end of it. From hence the low murmur 
of his pupil's voices, conning over their lessons^ 
might be heard in a drowsy summer's day, like 
the hum of a beehive; interrupted now and 
then by the authoritative voice of the master, 



^!l5?0i 



8 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 

in the tone of menace or command; or, perad- 
venture, by the appalling sound of the birch, 
as he urged some tardy loiterer along the 
flowery path of knowledge. Truth to say, he 
was a conscientious man, that ever bore in 
mind the golden maxim, "spare the rod and 
spoil the child." Ichabod Crane's scholars 
certainly were not spoiled. 

I would not have it imagined, however, that 
he was one of those cruel potentates of the 
school who joy in the smart of their subjects; 
on the contrary, he administered justice with 
discrimination rather than severity; taking 
the burden off the backs of the weak, and 
laying it on those of the strong. Your mere 
puny stripling, that winced at the least flourish 
of the rod, was passed by with indulgence; but 
the claims of justice were satisfied by inflicting 
a double portion on some little, tough, wrong- 
headed, broad-skirted Dutch urchin, who 
sulked and swelled and grew dogged and sullen 
beneath the birch. All this he called "doing his 
duty by their parents;" and he never inflicted a 
chastisement without following it by the assur- 
ance, so consolatory to the smarting urchin, 
that "he would remember it and thank him 
for it the longest day he had to live." 

When school hours were over, he was even 



.e«^^ 




The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 9 

the companion and playmate of the larger 
boys; and on holiday afternoons would convoy 
some of the smaller ones home, who happened 
to have pretty sisters, or good housewives for 
mothers, noted for the comforts of the cup- 
board. Indeed, it behooved him to keep on 
good terms with his pupils. The revenue 
arising from the school was small, and would 
have been scarcely sufficient to furnish him 
with daily bread, for he was a huge feeder, and 
though lank, had the dilating powers of an ana- 
conda; but to help out his maintenance, he was, 
according to country custom in those parts, 
boarded and lodged at the houses of the far- 
mers whose children he instructed. With 
these he lived successively, a week at a time, 
thus going the rounds of the neighborhood^ 
with all his worldly effects tied up in a cotton 
handkerchief. 

That all this might not be too onerous on the 
purses of his rustic patrons, who are apt to con- 
sider the cost of schooling a grievous burthen, 
and schoolmasters as mere drones, he had 
various ways of rendering himself both useful 
and agreeable. He assisted the farmers occa- 
sionally in the lighter labors of their farms; 
helped to make hay, mended the fences, took 
the horses to water, drove the cows from pas- 




?^<::^ 



10 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 

ture, and cut wood for the winter fire. He 
laid aside, too, all the dominant dignity and 
absolute sway with which he lorded it in his 
little empire, the school, and became wonder- 
fully gentle and ingratiating. He found favor 
in the eyes of the mothers, by petting the chil- 
dren, particularly the youngest; and like the 
lion bold, which whilom so magnanimously 
the lamb did hold, he would sit with a child on 
one knee and rock a cradle with his foot for 
whole hours together. 

In addition to his other vocations, he was 
the singing-master of the neighborhood, and 
picked up many bright shillings by instructing 
the young folks in psalmody. It was a matter 
of no little vanity to him on Sundays, to take 
his station in front of the church gallery, with 
a band of chosen singers; where, in his own 
mind, he completely carried away the palm 
from the parson. Certain it is, his voice 
resounded far above all the rest of the congre- 
gation, and there are peculiar quavers still to 
be heard in that church, and which may even 
be heard half a mile off, quite to the opposite 
side of the mill-pond, on a still Sunday morn- 
ing, which are said to be legitimately de- 
scended from the nose of Ichabod Crane. 
Thus, by divers little makeshifts, in that inge- 



»■ ii ip ii II ■ . Ww—^WW" 



The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 11 

nious way which is commonly denominated 
"by hook and by crook," the worthy peda- 
gogue got on tolerably enough, and was 
thought, by all who understood nothing of the 
labor of head work, to have a wonderfully easy 
life of it. 

The schoolmaster is generally a man of some 
importance in the female circle of a rural 
neighborhood; being considered a kind of idle 
gentleman-like personage, of vastly superior 
taste and accomplishments to the rough 
country swains, and, indeed, inferior in learn- 
ing only to the parson. His appearance, 
therefore, is apt to occasion some little stir at 
the tea-table of a farmhouse, and the addition 
of a supernumerary dish of cakes or sweet- 
meats, or, peradventure, the parade of a silver 
teapot. Our man of letters, therefore, was 
peculiarly happy in the smiles of all the coun- 
try damsels. How he would figure among 
them in the churchyard, between services on 
Sundays! gathering grapes for them from the 
wild vines that overrun the surrounding trees; 
reciting for their amusement all the epitaphs 
on the tombstones; or sauntering, with a 
whole bevy of them, along the banks of the 
adjacent mill-pond; while the more bashful 



12 The Leg:end of Sleepy Hollow 

country bumpkins hung sheepishly back, 
envying his superior elegance and address. 

From his half-itinerant life, also, he was a 
kind of traveling gazette, carrying the whole 
budget of local gossip from house to house; 
so that his appearance was always greeted 
with satisfaction. He was, moreover, es- 
teemed by the women as a man of great 
erudition, for he had read several books 
quite through, and was a perfect master of 
Cotton Mather's "History of New England 
Witchcraft," in which, by the way, he most 
firmly and potently believed. 

He was, in fact, an odd mixture of small 
shrewdness and simple credulity. His appe- 
tite for the marvelous, and his powers of 
digesting it, were equally extraordinary; 
and both had been increased by his residence 
in this spell-bound region. No tale was too 
gross or monstrous for his capacious swallow. 
It was often his delight, after his school was 
dismissed in the afternoon, to stretch himself 
on the rich bed of clover, bordering the little 
brook that whimpered by his schoolhouse, 
and there con over old Mather's direful tales, 
until the gathering dusk of evening made the 
printed page a mere mist before his eyes. 
Then as he wended his way, by swamp and 



The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 13 

stream and awful woodland, to the fann- 
house where he happened to be quartered, 
every sound of nature, at that witching hour, 
fluttered his excited imagination; the moan 
of the whip-poor-will* from the hillside; the 
boding cry of the tree-toad, that harbinger of 
storm; the dreary hooting of the screech-owl; 
or the sudden rustling in the thicket of birds 
frightened from their roost. The fireflies, 
too, which sparkled most vividly in the darkest 
places, now and then startled him, as one of 
uncommon brightness would stream across 
his path; and if, by chance, a huge blockhead 
of a beetle came winging his blundering flight 
against him, the poor varlet was ready to 
give up the ghost, with the idea that he was 
struck with a witch's token. His only 
resource on such occasions, either to drown 
thought, or drive away evil spirits, was to 
sing psalm tunes; and the good people of 
Sleepy Hollow, as they sat by their doors of 
an evening, were often filled with awe, at 
hearing his nasal melody, "in linked sweet- 
ness long drawn out," floating from the dis- 
tant hill, or along the dusky road. 



*The whip-poor-will is a bird which is only heard at night 
It receives its name from its note, which is thought to resemble 
those words . 



14 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 



Another of his sources of fearful pleasure 
was to pass long winter evenings with the old 
Dutch wives, as they sat spinning by the fire, 
with a row of apples roasting and sputtering 
along the hearth, and listen to their marvel- 
ous tales of ghosts and goblins, and haunted 
fields and haunted brooks, and haunted bridges 
and haunted houses, and particularly of the 
headless horseman, or galloping Hessian of the 
Hollow, as they sometimes called him. He 
would delight them equally by his anecdotes 
of witchcraft, and of the direful omens and 
portentous sights and soimds in the air which 
prevailed in the earlier times of Connecticut; 
and would frighten them wofully with specula- 
tions upon comets and shooting stars, and 
with the alarming fact that the world did 
absolutely turn round, and that they were 
half the time topsy-turvy! 

But if there was a pleasure in all this, while 
snugly cuddling in the chimney-comer of a 
chamber that was all of a ruddy glow from 
the crackling wood fire, and where, of cotirse, 
no spectre dared to show his face, it was 
dearly purchased by the terrors of his subse- 
quent walk homewards. What fearful shapes 
and shadows beset his path, amidst the dim 
and ghastly glare of a snowy night! — With 



a^f?i^ 



The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 15 

what wistful look did he eye every trembling 
ray of light streaming across the waste fields 
from some distant window! — How often was 
he appalled by some shrub covered with snow, 
which like a sheeted spectre beset his very 
path! — How often did he shrink with curdling 
awe at the sound of his own steps on the 
frosty crust beneath his feet; and dread to 
look over his shoulder, lest he should behold 
some uncouth being tramping close behind 
him! — And how often was he thrown into 
complete dismay by some rushing blast, 
howling among the trees, in the idea that it 
was the galloping Hessian on one of his 
nightly scourings! 

All these, however, were mere terrors of the 
night, phantoms of the mind, that walk in 
darkness: and though he had seen many 
spectres in his time, and been more than once 
beset by Satan in divers shapes, in his lonely 
perambulations, yet daylight put an end to all 
these evils; and he would have passed a 
pleasant life of it, in despite of the Devil and 
all his works, if his path had not been crossed 
by a being that causes more perplexity to 
mortal man, than ghosts, goblins, and the 
whole race of witches put together; and that 
was — a woman. 



fC^ 






16 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 

Among the musical disciples who assem- 
bled, one evening iu each week, to receive 
his instructions in psalmody, was Katrina 
Van Tassel, the daughter and only child of a 
substantial Dutch farmer. She was a bloom- 
ing lass of fresh eighteen, plump as a par- 
tridge, ripe and melting and rosy-cheeked as 
one of her father's peaches, and universally 
famed, not merely for her beauty, but her 
vast expectations. She was withal a little of 
a coquette, as might be perceived even in her 
dress, which was a mixture of ancient and 
modem fashions, and most suited to set off 
her charms. She wore the ornaments of 
pure yellow gold which her great-great-grand- 
mother had brought over from Saardam; 
the tempting stomacher of the olden time, 
and withal a provoking short petticoat, to 
display the prettiest foot and ankle in the 
country round. 

Ichabod Crane had a soft and foolish heart 
toward the sex; and it is not to be wondered 
at, that so tempting a morsel soon found 
favor in his eyes, more especially after he had 
visited her paternal mansion. Old Baltus Van 
Tassel was a perfect picture of a thriving, 
contented, liberal-hearted farmer. He seldom, 
it is true, sent either his eyes or his thoughts 



m^s^y? 



The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 17 

beyond the boundaries of his own farm; but 
within those everything was snug, happy, 
and well-conditioned. He was satisfied with 
his wealth, but not proud of it; and piqued 
himself upon the hearty abundance, rather 
than the style in which he lived. His strong- 
hold was situated on the banks of the Hudson, 
in one of those green, sheltered, fertile nooks, 
in which the Dutch farmers are so fond of 
nestling. A great elm tree spread its broad 
branches over it, at the foot of which bubbled 
up a spring of the softest and sweetest water, 
in a little well, formed of a barrel, and then 
stole sparkling away through the grass, to a 
neighboring brook, that babbled along among 
alders and dwarf willows. Hard by the farm- 
house was a vast bam, that might have 
served for a church, every window and crevice 
of which seemed bursting forth with the 
treasures of the farm; the flail was busily 
resounding within it from morning to night; 
swallows and martens skimmed twittering 
about the eaves; and rows of pigeons, some 
with one eye turned up, as if watching the 
weather, some with their heads under their 
wings, or buried in their bosoms, and others, 
swelling, and cooing, and bowing about their 
dames, were enjoying the sunshine on the 



SNffl?©^ 



18 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 



roof. Sleek, unwieldy porkers were grunting 
in the repose and abundance of their pens, 
whence sallied forth, now and then, troops 
of sucking pigs, as if to snuff the air. A 
stately squadron of snowy geese were riding 
in an adjoining pond, convoying whole fleets 
of ducks; regiments of turkeys were gobbling 
through the farmyard; and guinea-fowls 
fretting about it like ill-tempered housewives, 
with their peevish, discontented cry. Before 
the bam-door strutted the gallant cock, that 
pattern of a husband, a warrior, and a fine 
gentleman; clapping his burnished wings, 
and crowing in the pride and gladness of his 
heart — sometimes tearing up the earth with his 
feet, and then generously calling his ever- 
htmgry family of wives and children to enjoy 
the rich morsel which he had discovered. 

The pedagogue's mouth watered, as he 
looked upon this sumptuous promise of luxuri- 
ous winter fare. In his devouring mind's 
eye, he pictured to himself every roasting pig 
running about, with a pudding in his belly, 
and an apple in his mouth; the pigeons were 
snugly put to bed in a comfortable pie, and 
tucked in with a coverlet of crust; the geese 
were swimming in their own gravy; and the 
ducks pairing cosily in dishes, like snug 



©^fv» 



The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 19 

married couples, with a decent competency 
of onion sauce. In the porkers he saw carved 
out the future sleek side of bacon, and juicy 
relishing ham; not a turkey, but he beheld 
daintily trussed up, with its gizzard under its 
wing, and, peradventure, a necklace of 
savory sausages; and even bright chanticleer 
himself lay sprawling on his back, in a side 
dish, with uplifted claws, as if craving that 
quarter which his chivalrous spirit disdained 
to ask while living. 

As the enraptured Ichabod fancied all this, 
and as he rolled his great green eyes over the 
fat meadow lands, the rich fields of wheat, 
of rye, of buckwheat, and Indian com, and 
the orchards burthened with ruddy fruit, 
which surrounded the warm tenement of 
Van Tassel, his heart yearned after the damsel 
who was to inherit these domains, and his 
imagination expanded with the idea, how they 
might be readily turned into cash, and the 
money invested in immense tracts of wild 
land, and shingle palaces in the wilderness. 
Nay, his busy fancy already realized his 
hopes, and presented to him the blooming 
Katrina, with a whole family of children, 
mounted on the top of a wagon loaded with 
household trumpery, with pots and kettles 



20 Thd Legend of Sleepy Hollow 



dangling beneath; and he beheld himself 
bestriding a pacing mare, with a colt at her 
heels, setting out for Kentucky, Tennessee — 
or the Lord knows where! 

When he entered the house, the conquest of 
his heart was complete. It was one of those 
spacious farmhouses, with high-ridged, but 
lowly-sloping roofs, built in the style handed 
down from the first Dutch settlers, the low 
projecting eaves forming a piazza along the 
front, capable of being closed up in bad 
weather. Under this were hung flails, har- 
ness, various utensils of husbandry, and nets 
for fishing in the neighboring river. Benches 
were built along the sides for summer use; 
and a great spinning wheel at one end, and a 
chum at the other, showed the various uses 
to which this important porch might be 
devoted. From this piazza the wondering 
Ichabod entered the hall, which formed the 
centre of the mansion, and the place of usual 
residence. Here rows of resplendent pewter, 
ranged on a long dresser, dazzled his eyes. 
In one comer stood a huge bag of wool, 
ready to be spun; in another, a quantity of 
linsey-woolsey, just from the loom; ears of 
Indian com, and strings of dried apples and 
peaches, hung in gay festoons along the walls. 



B^^y^ 



The Legend of Sleeoy Hollow 21 

mingled with the gaud of red peppers; and 
a door left ajar gave him a peep into the best 
parlor, where the claw-footed chairs and dark 
mahogany tables shone like mirrors; andirons, 
with their accompanying shovel and tongs, 
glistened from their covert of asparagus tops; 
mock-oranges and conch shells decorated the 
mantelpiece; strings of various colored bird's 
eggs were suspended above it; a great ostrich 
egg was hung from the centre of the room; 
and a comer cupboard, knowingly left open, 
displayed immense treasures of old silver and 
well-mended china. 

From the moment Ichabod laid his eyes upon 
these regions of delight, the peace of his mind 
was at an end, and his only study was how to 
gain the affections of the peerless daughter of 
Van Tassel. In this enterprise, however, he 
had more real difficulties than generally fell to 
the lot of a knight-errant of yore, who seldom 
had anjrthing but giants, enchanters, fiery 
dragons, and such like easily conquered adver- 
saries, to contend with; and had to make his 
way merely through gates of iron and brass, 
and walls of adamant, to the castle-keep where 
the lady of his heart was confined; all which 
he achieved as easily as a man would carve his 
way to the centre of a Christmas pie, and then 



'K^O, 



22 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 

the lady gave him her hand as a matter of 
course. Ichabod, on the contrary, had to win 
his way to the heart of a country coquette 
beset with a labyrinth of whims and caprices, 
which were forever presenting new difficulties 
and impediments, and he had to encounter a 
host of fearful adversaries of real flesh and 
blood, the numerous rustic admirers, who 
beset every portal to her heart; keeping a 
watchful and angry eye upon each other, but 
ready to fly out in the common cause against 
any new competitor. 

Among these the most formidable was a 
burly, roaring, roystering blade of the name of 
Abraham, or according to the Dutch abbre- 
viation, Brom Van Brunt, the hero of the 
coimtry roimd, which rang with his feats of 
strength and hardihood. He was broad- 
shouldered and double- jointed, with short, 
curly black hair, and a bluff but not impleasant 
countenance, having a mingled air of fim and 
arrogance. From his Herculean frame and 
great powers of limb, he had received the nick- 
name of Brom Bones, by which he was uni- 
versally known. He was famed for great 
knowledge and skill in horsemanship, being 
as dexterous on horseback as a Tartar. He 
was foremost at all races and cock-fights, and 



The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 23 



with the ascendency which bodily strength 
acquires in rustic life, was the umpire in all 
disputes, setting his hat on one side, and giving 
his decisions with an air and tone admitting of 
no gainsay or appeal. He was always ready 
for either a flight or a frolic, but had more mis- 
chief than ill will in his composition; and with 
all his overbearing roughness there was a 
strong dash of waggish good-humor at bottom. 
He had three or four boon companions who 
regarded him as their model, and at the head 
of whom he scoured the country, attending 
every scene of feud or merriment for miles 
round. In cold weather he was distinguished 
by a fur cap, surmounted with a flaunting 
fox's tail; and when the folks at a country 
gathering descried this well-known crest at a 
distance, whisking about among a squad of 
hard riders, they always stood by for a squall. 
Sometimes his crew would be heard dashing 
along past the farmhouses at midnight, with 
whoop and halloo, like a troop of Don Cos- 
sacks, and the old dames, startled out of their 
sleep, would listen for a moment till the hurry- 
scurry had clattered by, and then exclaim, "Ay, 
there goes Brom Bones and his gang!" The 
neighbors looked upon him with a mixture of 
awe, admiration, and good- will; and when any 



«N(?^Gi 



24 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 



h 



madcap prank or rustic brawl occurred in the 
vicinity, always shook their heads, and war- 
ranted Brom Bones was at the bottom of it. 

This rantipole hero had for some time sin- 
gled out the blooming Katrina for the object of 
his uncouth gallantries, and though his amo- 
rous toyings were something like the gentle 
caresses and endearments of a bear, yet it was 
whispered that she did not altogether dis- 
courage his hopes. Certain it is, his advances 
were signals for rival candidates to retire, who 
felt no inclination to cross a lion in his amours; 
insomuch, that when his horse was seen tied to 
Van Tassel's paling, on a Sunday night, a sure 
sign that his master was courting, or, as it is 
termed, "sparking," within, all other suitors 
passed by in despair, and carried the war into 
other quarters. 

Such was the formidable rival with whom 
Ichabod Crane had to contend, and considering 
all things, a stouter man than he would have 
shrunk from the competition, and a wiser man 
would have despaired. He had, however, a 
happy mixture of pliablity and perseverance 
in his nature; he was in form and spirit like a 
supple-jack — yielding, but tough; though he 
bent, he never broke; and though he bowed 
beneath the slightest pressure, yet the moment 



The Legend of Sleepy HoHow ZB 

it was away — jerk! — he was as erect, and 
carried his head as high as ever. 

To have taken the field openly against his 
rival would have been madness; for he was not 
a man to be thwarted in his amours, any more 
than that stormy lover, Achilles. Ichabod, 
therefore, made his advances in a quiet and 
gently insinuating manner. Under cover of 
his character of singing-master, he made fre- 
quent visits at the farmhouse; not that he had 
any thing to apprehend from the meddlesome 
interference of parents, which is so often a 
stumbling-block in the path of lovers. Bait 
Van Tassel was an easy, indulgent soul; he 
loved his daughter better even than his pipe, 
and, like a reasonable man, and an excellent 
father, let her have her way in everything. 
His notable little wife, too, had enough to do 
to attend to her housekeeping and manage her 
poultry; for, as she sagely observed, ducks and 
geese are foolish things, and must be looked 
after, but girls can take care of themselves. 
Thus, while the busy dame bustled about the 
house, or plied her spinning-wheel at one end 
of the piazza, honest Bait would sit smoking 
his evening pipe at the other, watching the 
achievements of a little wooden warrior, who, 
armed with a sword in each hand, was most 



26 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 

valiantly fighting the wind on the pinnacle of 
the barn. In the mean time, Ichabod would 
carry on his suit with the daughter by the side 
of the spring under the great elm, or saunter- 
ing along in the twilight, that hour so favor- 
able to the lover's eloquence. 

I profess not to know how women's hearts 
are wooed and won. To me they have always 
been matters of riddle and admiration. Some 
seem to have but one vulnerable point, or door 
of access; while others have a thousand 
avenues, and may be captured in a thousand 
different ways. It is a great triumph of skill 
to gain the former, but a still greater proof of 
generalship to maintain possession of the 
latter, for a man must battle for his fortress at 
every door and window. He who wins a 
thousand common hearts is therefore entitled 
to some renown; but he who keeps undisputed 
sway over the heart of a coquette is indeed a 
hero. Certain it is, this was not the case with 
the redoubtable Brom Bones; and from the 
moment Ichabod Crane made his advances 
the interests of the former evidently declined; 
his horse was no longer seen tied at the palings 
on Sunday nights, and a deadly feud gradually 
arose between him and the preceptor of 
Sleepy Hollow. 



The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 27 

Brom, who had a degree of rough chivalry 
in his nature, would fain have carried matters 
to open warfare, and have settled their preten- 
sions to the lady, according to the mode of 
those most concise and simple reasoners, the 
knights-errant of yore — by single combat; 
but Ichabod was too conscious of the superior 
might of his adversary to enter the lists 
against him; he had overheard a boast of 
Bones, that he would "double the school- 
master up, and lay him on a shelf of his own 
schoolhouse;" and he was too wary to give 
him an opportunity. There was something 
extremely provoking in this obstinately pacific 
system; it left Brom no alternative but to draw 
upon the funds of rustic waggery in his dispo- 
sition, and to play off boorish practical jokes 
upon his rival. Ichabod became the object of 
whimsical persecution to Bones and his gang 
of rough riders. They harried his hitherto 
peaceful domains; smoked out his singing- 
school, by stopping up the chimney; broke 
into the schoolhouse at night, in spite of its 
formidable fastenings of withe and window 
stakes, and turned every thing topsy-turvy; so 
that the poor schoolmaster began to think all 
the witches in the country held their meetings 
there. But what was still more annoying. 



'K^O. 



28 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 

Brom took all opportunities of turning him 
into ridicule in presence of his mistress, and 
had a scoundrel dog whom he taught to whine 
in the most ludicrous manner, and introduced 
as a rival of Ichabod's, to instruct her in 
psalmody. 

In this way, matters went on for some time, 
without producing any material effect on the 
relative situations of the contending powers. 
On a fine autumnal afternoon, Ichabod, in 
pensive mood, sat enthroned on the lofty stool 
whence he usually watched all the concerns of 
his little literary realm. In his hand he 
swayed a ferule, that sceptre of despotic 
power; the birch of justice reposed on three 
nails, behind the throne, a constant terror to 
evil doers; while on the desk before him might 
be seen simdry contraband articles and pro- 
hibited weapons, detected upon the persons of 
idle urchins; such as half-mimched apples, 
popgims, whirligigs, fly-cages, and whole 
legions of rampant little paper game-cocks. 
Apparently there had been some appalling act 
of justice recently inflicted, for his scholars 
were all busily intent upon their books, or 
slyly whispering behind them with one eye 
kept upon the master; and a kind of buzzing 
stillness reigned throughout the schoolroom. 



The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 29 



It was suddenly interrupted by the appearance 
of a negro in tow-cloth jacket and trousers, a 
round-crowned fragment of a hat, like the cap 
of Mercury, and mounted on the back of a 
ragged, wild, half-broken colt, which he man- 
aged with a rope by way of halter. He came 
clattering up to the school-door with an invi- 
tation to Ichabod to attend a merry-making, 
or "quilting frolic," to be held that evening at 
Mynheer Van TassePs; and having delivered 
his message with that air of importance, and 
effort at fine language, which a negro is apt to 
display on petty embassies of the kind, he 
dashed over the brook, and was seen scamper- 
ing away up the hollow, full of the importance 
and hurry of his mission. 

All was now bustle and hubbub in the late 
quiet schoolroom. The scholars were hurried 
through their lessons, without stopping at 
trifles; those who were nimble skipped over 
half with impunity, and those who were tardy 
had a smart application now and then in the 
rear, to quicken their speed, or help them over 
a tall word. Books were flung aside, without 
being put away on the shelves; inkstands were 
overturned, benches thrown down, and the 
whole school was turned loose an hour before 
the usual time; bursting forth like a legion of 



J5?® 



&*^. 



30 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 

young impS) yelping and racketing about the 
green, in joy at their early emancipation. 

The gallant Ichabod now spent at least an 
extra half-hour at his toilet, brushing and 
furbishing up his best, and indeed only suit of 
rusty black, and arranging his locks by a bit 
of broken looking-glass that hung up in the 
schoolhouse. That he might make his appear- 
ance before his mistress in the true style of a 
cavalier, he borrowed a horse from the farmer 
with whom he was domiciliated, a choleric old 
Dutchman, of the name of Hans Van Ripper, 
and thus gallantly mounted, issued forth like 
a knight-errant in quest of adventures. But 
it is meet I should, in the true spirit of romantic 
story, give some account of the looks and equip- 
ments of my hero and his steed. 

The animal he bestrode was a broken-down 
plough-horse, that had outUved almost every- 
thing but his viciousness. He was gaxmt and 
shagged, with a ewe neck and a head like a 
hammer; his rusty mane and tail were tangled 
and knotted with burrs; one eye had lost its 
pupil, and was glaring and spectral, but the 
other had the gleam of a genuine devil in it. 
Still, he must have had fire and mettle in his 
day, if we may judge from his name, which 
was Gunpowder. He had, in fact, been a 



m'^/? 



The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 31 

favorite steed of his master's, the choleric 
Van Ripper, who was a furious rider, and had 
infused, very probably, some of his own spirit 
into the animal; for, old and broken-down as 
he looked, there was more of the lurking devil 
in him than in any young filly in the country, 

Ichabod was a suitable figure for such a steed. 
He rode with short stirrups, which brought his 
knees nearly up to the pommel of the saddle ; 
his sharp elbows stuck out like grasshoppers'; 
he carried his whip perpendicularly in his hand, 
like a sceptre, and as his horse jogged on, the 
motion of his arms was not unlike the flapping 
of a pair of wings. A small wool hat rested on 
the top of his nose, for so his scanty strip of 
forehead might be called, and the skirts of his 
black coat fluttered out almost to the horse's 
tail. Such was'the appearance of Ichabod and 
his steed as they shambled out of the gate of 
Hans Van Ripper, and it was altogether such 
an apparition as is seldom to be met with in 
broad daylight. 

It was, as I have said, a fine autumnal day; 
the sky was clear and serene, and nature wore 
that rich and golden livery which we always 
associate with the idea of abundance. The 
forests had put on their sober brown and 
yellow, while some trees of the tenderer kind 



32 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 



had been nipped by the frosts into brilliant 
dyes of orange, puq)le, and scarlet. Streaming 
files of wild ducks began to make their appear- 
ance high in the air; the bark of the squirrel 
might be heard from the groves of beech and 
hickory-nuts, and the pensive whistle of the 
quail at intervals from the neighboring stubble 
field. 

The small birds were taking their farewell 
banquets. In the fulness of their revelry, tliey 
fluttered, chirping and frolicking, from bush to 
bush, and tree to tree, capricious from the very 
profusion and variety around them. There 
was the honest cock-robin, the favorite game 
of stripling sportsmen, with its loud querulous 
note, and the twittering blackbirds flying in 
sable clouds; and the golden winged wood- 
pecker, with his crimson crest, his broad black 
gorget, and splendid plumage; and the cedar- 
bird, with its red-tipt wings and yellow-tipt 
tail, and its little monteiro cap of feathers; and 
the bluejay, that noisy coxcomb, in his gay 
light blue coat and white underclothes, 
screaming and chattering, nodding, and bob- 
bing, and bowing, and pretending to be on 
good terms with every songster of the grove. 

As Ichabod jogged slowly on his way, his 
eye, ever open to every symptom of culinary 



he small Birds were taking their 
farewell banquets. In the ful- 
ness of their revelry, they fluttered, chirp- 
ing and frolicking, from bush to bush, 
and tree to tree, capricious from the 
very profusion and variety around them. 
There was the honest cock-robin, the 
favorite game of stripling sportsmen, with 
its loud querulous note, and the twitter- 
ing blackbirds flying in sable clouds ; and 
the golden-winged woodpecker, with his 
crimson crest, his broad black gorget, 
and splendid plumage ; and the cedarbird, 
with its red-tipt wings and yellow-tipt 
tail, and its little monteiro cap of 
feathers ; and the bluejay, that noisy cox- 
comb, in his gay light blue coat and 
white underclothes, screaming and chat- 
tering, nodding, and bobbing, and bow- 
ing, and pretending to be on good terms 
with every songster of the grove. 

3> 



©'^a^ 



The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 33 

abundance, ranged with delight over the treas- 
ures of jolly autumn. On all sides he beheld 
vast stores of apples, some hanging in oppress- 
ive opulence on the trees, some gathered into 
baskets and barrels for the market, others 
heaped up in rich piles for the cider-press. 
Farther on he beheld great fields of Indian 
com, with its golden ears peeping from their 
leafy coverts, and holding out the promise of 
cakes and hasty pudding; and the yellow 
pumpkins lying beneath them, turning up their 
fair round bellies to the sun, and giving ample 
prospects of the most luxurious of pies; and 
anon he passed the fragrant buckwheat fields, 
breathing the odor of the bee-hive, and as he 
beheld them, soft anticipations stole over his 
mind of dainty slapjacks, well-buttered, and 
garnished with honey or treacle, by the deli- 
cate little dimpled hand of Katrina Van 
Tassel. 

Thus feeding his mind with many sweet 
thoughts and "sugared suppositions," he jour- 
neyed along the sides of a range of hills which 
look out upon some of the goodliest scenes of 
the mighty Hudson. The sun gradually 
wheeled his broad disk down into the west 
The wide bosom of the Tappan Zee lay motion- 
less and glassy, except that here and there a 



^S(?P0! 



<^i 



34 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 

gentle undulation waved and prolonged the 
blue shadow of the distant mountain. A few 
amber clouds floated in the sky, without a 
breath of air to move them. The horizon was 
of a fine golden tint, changing gradually into 
a pure apple green, and from that into the deep 
blue of the mid-heaven. A slanting ray lin- 
gered on the woody crests of the precipices that 
overhung some parts of the river, giving 
greater depth to the dark gray and purple of 
their rocky sides. A sloop was loitering in the 
distance, dropping slowly down with the tide, 
her sail hanging uselessly against the mast; 
and as the reflection of the sky gleamed along 
the still water, it seemed as if the vessel 
was suspended in the air. 

It was toward evening that Ichabod arrived 
at the castle of the Heer Van Tassel, which he 
foimd thronged with the pride and flower of 
the adjacent coimtry. Old farmers, a spare 
leathern-faced race, in homespim coats and 
breeches, blue stockings, huge shoes, and 
magnificent pewter buckles. Their brisk, 
withered little dames, in close crimped caps, 
long-waisted short gowns, homespun petti- 
coats, with scissors and pin-cushions, and gay 
calico pockets hanging on the outside. Buxom 
lasses, almost as antiquated as their mothers, 



The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 35 



excepting where a straw hat, a fine ribbon, or 
perhaps a white frock, gave symptoms of city 
innovation. The sons, in short square-skirted 
coats, with rows of stupendous brass buttons 
and their hair generally queued in the fashion 
of the times, especially if they could procure 
an eelskin for the purpose, it being esteemed 
throughout the country, as a potent nourisher 
and strengthener of the hair. 

Brom Bones, however, was the hero of the 
scene, having come to the gathering on his 
favorite steed Daredevil, a creature, like him- 
self, full of mettle and mischief, and which no 
one but himself could manage. He was, in 
fact, noted for preferring vicious animals, 
given to all kinds of tricks which kept the rider 
in constant risk of his neck, for he held a 
tractable well-broken horse as unworthy of a 
lad of spirit. 

Fain would I pause to dwell upon the world 
of charms that burst upon the enraptured gaze 
of my hero, as he entered the state parlor of 
Van TassePs mansion. Not those of the bevy 
of buxom lassies, with their luxurious display 
of red and white; but the ample charms of a 
genuine Dutch country tea-table, in the sump- 
tuous time of autumn. Such heaped-up plat- 
ters of cakes of various and almost indescriba- 



sNi^es 



36 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 



able kinds, known only to experienced Dutch 
housewives! There was the doughty dough- 
nut, the tenderer oly-koek, and the crisp and 
crumbling cruller; sweet cakes and short cakes, 
ginger cakes and honey cakes, and the whole 
family of cakes. And then there were apple 
pies, and peach pies, and pumpkin pies; be- 
sides slices of ham and smoked beef; and 
moreover delectable dishes of preserved plums, 
and peaches, and pears, and quinces; not to 
mention broiled shad and roasted chickens; 
together with bowls of milk and cream, all 
mingled higgledy-piggledy, pretty much as I 
have enimierated them, with the motherly 
teapot sending up its clouds of vapor from the 
midst — Heaven bless the mark! I want 
breath and time to discuss this banquet as it 
deserves, and am too eager to get on with my 
story. Happily, Ichabod Crane was not in so 
great a hurry as his historian, but did ample 
justice to every dainty. 

He was a kind and thankful creature, whose 
heart dilated in proportion as his skin was filled 
with good cheer, and whose spirits rose with 
eating, as some men's do with drink. He 
could not help, too, rolling his large eyes roimd 
him as he ate, and chuckling with the possi- 
bility that he might one day be lord of all this 



The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 37 



scene of almost unimaginable luxury and 
splendor. Then, he thought, how soon he'd 
turn his back upon the old schoolhouse; snap 
his fingers in the face of Hans Van Ripper, and 
every other niggardly patron, and kick any 
itinerant pedagogue out of doors that should 
dare to call him comrade! 

Old Baltus Van Tassel moved about among 
his guests with a face dilated with content and 
good humor, round and jolly as the harvest 
moon. His hospitable attentions were brief, 
but expressive, being confined to a shake of the 
hand, a slap on the shoulder, a loud laugh, and 
a pressing invitation to "fall to, and help them- 
selves." 

And now the sound of the music from the 
common room, or hall, summoned to the 
dance. The musician was an old gray-headed 
negro, who had been the itinerant orchestra of 
the neighborhood for more than half a century. 
His instrument was as old and battered as him- 
self. The greater part of the time he scraped 
on two or three strings, accompanying every 
movement of the bow with a motion of the 
head; bowing almost to the ground, and 
stamping his foot whenever a fresh couple 
were to start. 

Ichabod prided himself upon his dancing as 



38 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 



much as upon his vocal powers. Not a limb, 
not a fibre about him was idle; and to have 
seen his loosely hung frame in full motion, and 
clattering about the room, you would have 
thought St. Vitus himself, that blessed patron 
of the dance, was figuring before you in person. 
He was the admiration of all the negroes ; who, 
having gathered, of all ages and sizes, from 
the farm and the neighborhood, stood forming 
a pyramid of shining black faces at every door 
and window, gazing with delight at the scene, 
rolling their white eye-balls, and showing 
grinning rows of ivory from ear to ear. How 
could the flogger of urchins be otherwise than 
animated and joyous? the lady of his heart 
was his partner in the dance, and smiling gra- 
ciously in reply to all his amorous oglings; 
while Brom Bones, sorely smitten with love 
and jealousy, sat brooding by himself in one 
comer. 

When the dance was at an end, Ichabod was 
attracted to a knot of the sager folks, who, 
with Old Van Tassel, sat smoking at one end of 
the piazza, gossiping over former times, and 
drawling out long stories about the war. 

This neighborhood, at the time of which I 
am speaking, was one of those highly-favored 
places which abound with chronicle and great 



The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 39 

men. The British and American line had run 
near it during the war; it had, therefore, been 
the scene of marauding, and infested with 
refugees, cow-boys, and all kinds of border 
chivalry. Just sufficient time had elapsed to 
enable each story-teller to dress up his tale 
with a little becoming fiction, and, in the indis- 
tinctness of his recollection, to make himself 
the hero of every exploit. 

There was the story of Doffue Martling, a 
large blue-bearded Dutchman, who had nearly 
taken a British frigate with an old nine- 
pounder from a mud breastwork, only that his 
gun burst at the sixth discharge. And there 
was an old gentleman who shall be nameless, 
being too rich a mynheer to be lightly men- 
tioned, who, in the battle of Whiteplains, being 
an excellent master of defence, parried a mus- 
ket-ball with a small-sword, insomuch that he 
absolutely felt it whiz round the blade, and 
glance off at the hilt; in proof of which he was 
ready at any time to show the sword, with the 
hilt a little bent. There were several more 
that had been equally great in the field, not 
one of whom but was persuaded that he had a 
considerable hand in bringing the war to a 
happy termination. 

But all these were nothing to tales of ghosts 



40 The Izgtnd of Sleepy Hollow 

and apparitions that succeeded. The neigh- 
borhood is rich in legendary treasures of this 
kind. Local tales and superstitions thrive 
best in these sheltered, long-settled retreats; 
but are trampled under foot by the shifting 
throng that forms the population of most of 
our country places. Besides, there is no en- 
couragement for ghosts in most of our villages, 
for they have scarcely had time to finish their 
first nap, and turn themselves in their graves, 
before their surviving friends have traveled 
away from the neighborhood; so that when 
they turn out at night to walk their rotmds, 
they have no acquaintance left to call upon. 
This is perhaps the reason why we so seldom 
hear of ghosts except in our long-established 
Dutch communities. 

The immediate cause, however, of the prev- 
alence of supernatural stories in these parts, 
was doubtless owing to the vicinity of Sleepy 
Hollow. There was a contagion in the very 
air that blew from that haunted region; it 
breathed forth an atmosphere of dreams and 
fancies infecting all the land. Several of the 
Sleepy Hollow people were present at Van 
Tassel's, and, as usual, were doling out their 
wild and wonderful legends. Many dismal 
tales were told about funeral trains, and 



v€)^^ 



The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 41 

mourning cries and wailings heard and seen 
about the great tree where the unfortunate 
Major Andr€ was taken, and which stood in 
the neighborhood. Some mention was made 
also of the woman in white, that haimted the 
dark glen at Raven Rock, and was often 
heard to shriek on winter nights before a 
storm, having perished there in the snow. 
The chief part of the stories, however, turned 
upon the favorite spectre of Sleepy Hollow, 
the headless horseman, who had been heard 
several times of late, patrolling the country; 
and it was said, tethered his horse nightly 
among the graves in the churchyard. 

The sequestered situation of this church 
seems always to have made it a favorite haunt 
of troubled spirits. It stands on a knoll, sur- 
rounded by locust-trees and lofty elms, from 
among which its decent, whitewashed walls 
shine modestly forth, like Christian purity, 
beaming through the shades of retirement. A 
gentle slope descends from it to a silver sheet of 
water, bordered by high trees, between which 
peeps may be caught at the blue hills of the 
Hudson. To look upon its grass-grown yard, 
where the sunbeams seem to sleep so quietly, 
one would think that there at least the dead 
might rest in peace. On one side of the church 



42 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 



extends a wide woody dell, along which raves 
a large brook among broken rocks and trunks 
of fallen trees. Over a deep black part of the 
stream, not far from the church, was formerly 
thrown a wooden bridge; the road that led to 
it, and bridge itself, were thickly shaded by 
overhanging trees, which cast a gloom about 
it, even in the daytime ; but occasioned a fear- 
ful darkness at night. This was one of the 
favorite haimts of the headless horseman, and 
the place where he was most frequently en- 
countered. The tale was told of old Brouwer, 
a most heretical disbeliever in ghosts, how he 
met the horseman returning from his foray into 
Sleepy Hollow, and was obliged to get up 
behind him; how they galloped over bush and 
brake, over hill and swamp, until they reached 
the bridge; when the horseman suddenly 
turned into a skeleton, threw old Brouwer into 
the brook, and sprang away over the tree-tops 
with a clap of thunder. 

This story was immediately matched by a 
thrice marvelous adventure of Brom Bones, 
who made Ught of the galloping Hessian as an 
arrant jockey. He affirmed, that on returning 
one night from the neighboring village of Sing- 
Sing, he had been overtaken by this midnight 
trooper; that he had offered to race with him 



©CJW! 



The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 43 

for a bowl of punch, and should have won it 
too, for Daredevil beat the goblin horse all 
hollow, but just as they came to the church 
bridge, the Hessian bolted, and vanished in a 
flash of fire. 

All these tales, told in that drowsy under- 
tone with which men talk in the dark, the 
countenances of the listeners only now and 
then receiving a casual gleam from the glare 
of a pipe, sank deep in the mind of Ichabod. 
He repaid them in kind with large extracts 
from his invaluable author. Cotton Mather, and 
added many marvelous events that had taken 
place in his native State of Connecticut, and 
fearful sights which he had seen in his nightly 
walks about Sleepy Hollow. 

The revel now gradually broke up. The old 
farmers gathered together their families in 
their wagons, and were heard for some time 
rattling along the hollow roads, and over the 
distant hills. Some of the damsels mounted 
on pillions behind their favorite swains, and 
their light-hearted laughter, mingling with the 
clatter of hoofs, echoed along the silent wood- 
lands, sounding fainter and fainter, until they 
gradually died away — and the late scene of 
noise and frolic was all silent and deserted. 
Ichabod only lingered behind, according to the 



44 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 



custom of country lovers, to have a tete-a-tete 
with the heiress; fully convinced that he was 
now on the high road to success. What 
passed at this interview I will not pretend to 
say, for, in fact, I do not know. Something, 
however, I fear me, must have gone wrong, for 
he certainly sallied forth, after no very great 
interval, with an air quite desolate and chop- 
fallen — Oh, these women! these women! 
Could that girl have been playing off any of 
her coquettish tricks? — Was her encourage- 
ment of the poor pedagogue all a mere sham to 
secure her conquest of his rival? — Heaven only 
knows, not I! — let it suffice to say, Ichabod 
stole forth with the air of one who had been 
sacking a hen-roost, rather than a fair lady's 
heart. Without looking to the right or left to 
notice the scene of rural wealth, on which he 
had so often gloated, he went straight to the 
stable, and with several hearty cuffs and kicks, 
roused his steed most xmcourteously from the 
comfortable quarters in which he was soimdiy 
sleeping, dreaming of mountains of com and 
oats, and whole valleys of timothy and clover. 
It was the very witching time of night that 
Ichabod, heavy-hearted and crestfallen, pur- 
sued his travel homewards, along the sides of 
the lofty hills which rise above Tarry Town, 



B^^^ 



The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 45 

and which he had traversed so cheerily in the 
afternoon. The hour was as dismal as him- 
self. Far below him the Tappan Zee spread 
its dusky and indistinct waste of waters, 
with here and there the tall mast of a sloop, 
riding quietly at anchor under the land. 
In the dead hush of midnight, he could even 
hear the barking of the watch-dog from the 
opposite shore of the Hudson; but it was so 
vague and faint as only to give an idea of 
his distance from this fai hful companion of 
man. Now and then, too, the long-drawn 
crowing of a cock, accidentally awakened, 
would soimd far, far off, from some farm- 
house, away among the hills — but it was like 
a dreaming sotmd in his ear. No signs of 
life occurred near him, but occasionally the 
melancholy chirp of a cricket, or perhaps the 
guttural twang of a bull-frog from a neigh- 
boring marsh, as if sleeping uncomfortably, 
and turning suddenly in his bed. 

All the stories of ghosts and goblins that he 
had heard in the afternoon now came crowd- 
ing upon his recollection. The night grew 
darker and darker, the stars seemed to sink 
deeper in the sky, and driving clouds occa- 
sionally hid them from his sight. He had 
never felt so lonely and dismal. He was. 



46 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 

moreover, approaching the very place where 
many of the scenes of the ghost stories had 
been laid. In the centre of the road stood 
an enormous tulip-tree, which towered like 
a giant above all the other trees of the neigh- 
borhood, and formed a kind of landmark. 
Its limbs were gnarled and fantastic, large 
enough to form trunks for ordinary trees, 
twisting down almost to the earth, and rising 
again into the air. It was connected with 
the tragical story of the unfortunate Andr€, 
who had been taken prisoner hard by, and 
was imiversally known by the name of 
Major Andre's tree. The common people 
regarded it with a mixture of respect and 
superstition, partly out of sympathy for its 
ill-starred namesake, and partly from the 
tales of strange sights, and doleful lamenta- 
tions, told concerning it. 

As Ichabod approached this fearful tree, 
he began to whistle; he thought his whistle 
was answered: it was but a blast sweeping 
sharply through the dry branches. As he 
approached a little nearer, he thought he saw 
something white, hanging in the midst of the 
tree; he paused, and ceased whistling; but 
on looking more narrowly, perceived that it 
was a place where the tree had been scathed 



'^\ 



.4ymi 



The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 47 

by lightning, and the white wood laid bare. 
Suddenly he heard a groan — his teeth chat- 
tered, and his knees smote against the saddle : 
it was but the rubbing of one huge bough 
upon another, as they were swayed about by 
the breeze. He passed the tree in safety, 
but new perils lay before him. 

About two hundred yards from the tree, a 
small brook crossed the road, and ran into a 
marshy and thickly wooded glen, known 
by the name of Wiley's Swamp. A few 
rough logs laid side by side, served as a bridge 
over this stream. On that side of the road 
where the brook entered the wood, a group 
of oaks and chestnuts, matted thick with 
wild grape vines, threw a cavernous gloom 
over it. To pass this bridge was the severest 
trial. It was at this identical spot that the 
unfortimate Andr€ was captured, and under 
the covert of those chestnuts and vines were 
the sturdy yeomen concealed who surprised 
him. This has ever since been considered 
a haunted stream, and fearful are the feelings 
of a schoolboy who has to pass it alone after 
dark. 

As he approached the stream, his heart 
began to thump; he summoned up, however, 
all his resolution, gave his horse half a score 



^J5?<a 



48 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 



of kicks in the ribs, and attempted to dash 
briskly across the bridge; but instead of start- 
ing forward, the perverse old animal made a 
lateral movement, and ran broadside against 
the fence. Ichabod, whose fears increased 
with the delay, jerked the reins on the other 
side, and kicked lustily with the contrary 
foot : it was all in vain ; his steed started, it is 
true, but it was only to plunge to the opposite 
side of the road into a thicket of brambles 
and alder bushes. The schoolmaster now 
bestowed both whip and heel upon the starvel- 
ing ribs of old Gunpowder, who dashed for- 
wards, snuffling and snorting, but came to a 
stand just by the bridge, with a suddenness 
that had nearly sent his rider sprawling over 
his head. Just at this moment a plashy 
tramp by the side of the bridge caught the 
sensitive ear of Ichabod. In the dark shadow 
of the grove, on the margin of the brook, 
he beheld something huge, misshapen, black, 
and towering. It stirred not, but seemed 
gathered up in the gloom, like some gigantic 
monster ready to spring upon the traveler. 

The hair of the affrighted pedagogue rose 
upon his head with terror. What was to 
be done? To turn and fly was now too late; 
and besides, what chance was there of escap- 



B^'Tk^ 




The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 49 

ing ghost or goblin, if such it was, which 
could ride upon the wings of the wind? 
Summoning up, therefore, a show of courage, 
he demanded in stammering accents — "Who 
are you?" He received no reply. He re- 
peated his demand in a still more agitated 
voice. Still there was no answer. Once 
more he cudgelled the sides of the inflexible 
Gunpowder, and shutting his eyes, broke 
forth with involuntary fervor into a psalm 
tune. Just then the shadowy object of 
alarm put itself into motion, and with a 
scramble and a bound, stood at once in the 
middle of the road. Though the night was 
dark and dismal, yet the form of the unknown 
might now in some degree be ascertained. 
He appeared to be a horseman of large dimen- 
sions, and mounted on a black horse of 
powerful frame. He made no offer of moles- 
tation or sociability, but kept aloof on one 
side of the road, jogging along on the blind 
side of old Gunpowder, who had now got over 
his fright and waywardness. 

Ichabod, who had no relish for this strange 
midnight companion, and bethought himself 
of the adventure of Brom Bones with the 
galloping Hessian, now quickened his steed, 
in hopes of leaving him behind. The stranger, 




•m. 




?^/^ 



3?S 



The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 



however, quickened his horse to an equal 
pace. Ichabod pulled up, and fell into a walk, 
thinking to lag behind — the other did the 
same. His heart began to sink within him; 
he endeavored to resume his psalm tune, but 
his parched tongue clove to the roof of his 
mouth, and he could not utter a stave. There 
was something in the moody and dogged 
silence of this pertinacious companion, that 
was mysterious and appalling. It was soon 
fearfully accounted for. On mounting a 
rising ground, which brought the figure of his 
fellow-traveler in relief against the sky, 
gigantic in height, and muffled in a cloak, 
Ichabod was horror-struck, on perceiving 
that he was headless! but his horror was still 
more increased, on observing that the head 
which should have rested on his shoulders, 
was carried before him on the pommel of his 
saddle! His terror rose to desperation; he 
rained a shower of kicks and blows upon 
Gunpowder, hoping, by a sudden movement, 
to give his companion the slip — but the 
spectre started full jump with him. Away, 
then, they dashed through thick and thin, 
stones flying and sparks flashing at every 
bound. Ichabod's flimsy garments fluttered 
in the air, as he stretched his long lank body 



The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 51 



away over his horse's head, in the eagerness 
of his flight. 

They had now reached the road which 
turns off to Sleepy Hollow; but Gunpowder, 
who seemed possessed with a demon, instead 
of keeping up it, made an opposite turn, and 
plunged headlong down hill to the left. This 
road leads through a sandy hollow, shaded 
by trees for about a quarter of a mile, where 
it crosses the bridge famous in goblin story; 
and just beyond swells the green knoll on 
which stands the whitewashed church. 

As yet the panic of the steed had given his 
unskilful rider an apparent advantage in the 
chase; but just as he had got half-way through 
the hollow, the girths of the saddle gave way, 
and he felt it slipping from under him He 
seized it by the pommel, and endeavored to 
hold it firm, but in vain; and had just time 
to save himself by clasping old Gunpowder 
round the neck, when the saddle fell to the 
earth, and he heard it trampled under foot by 
his pursuer. For a moment the terror of 
Hans Van Ripper's wrath passed across his 
mind — for it was his Sunday saddle; but this 
was no time for petty fears: the goblin was 
hard on his haunches; and (unskilful rider 
that he was!) he had much ado to maintaiii 



52 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 

his seat, sometimes slipping on one side, 
sometimes on another, and sometimes jolted 
on the ridge of his horse's backbone, with a 
violence that he verily feared would cleave 
him asunder. 

An opening in the trees now cheered him 
with the hopes that the church bridge was at 
hand. The wavering reflection of a silver 
star in the bosom of the brook told him that 
he was not mistaken. He saw the walls of 
the church dimly glaring under the trees 
beyond. He recollected the place where 
Brom Bones's ghostly competitor had disap- 
peared. "If I can but reach that bridge," 
thought Ichabod, "I am safe." Just then he 
heard the black steed panting and blowing 
close behind him; he even fancied that he 
felt its hot breath. Another convulsive kick 
in the ribs, and old Gunpowder sprang upon 
the bridge; he thimdered over the resounding 
planks; he gained the opposite side, and now 
Ichabod cast a look behind to see if his pur- 
surer should vanish, according to rule, in a 
flash of fire and brimstone. Just then he 
saw the goblin rising in his stirrups, and in 
the very act of hurling his head at him. 
Ichabod endeavored to dodge the horrible 
missile, but too late. It encountered his 



m 



The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 53 



cranium with a tremendous crash — he was 
tumbled headlong into the dust, and Gun- 
powder, the black steed and the goblin rider, 
passed by like a whirlwind. 

The next morning the old horse was found 
without his saddle, and with the bridle under 
his feet, soberly cropping the grass at his 
master's gate. Ichabod did not make his 
appearance at breakfast — dinner-hour came, 
but no Ichabod. The boys assembled at the 
schoolhouse, and strolled idly about the banks 
of the brook; but no schoolmaster. Hans 
Van Ripper now began to feel some uneasiness 
about the fate of poor Ichabod, and his saddle. 
An inquiry was set on foot, and after diligent 
investigation they came upon his traces. 
In one part of the road leading to the church, 
was found the saddle trampled in the dirt; 
the tracks of horses* hoofs deeply dented in 
the road, and evidently at furious speed 
were traced to the bridge, beyond which, 
on the bank of a broad part of the brook, 
where the water ran deep and black, was 
found the hat of the unfortunate Ichabod, 
and close beside it a shattered pumpkin. 

The brook was searched, but the body of 
the schoolmaster was not to be discovered. 
Hans Van Ripper, as executor of his estate. 



XJ5?(S 



54 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 

examined the bundle which contained all his 
worldly effects. They consisted of two shirts 
and a half, two stocks for the neck, a pair or 
two of worsted stockings, an old pair of 
corduroy small-clothes, a rusty razor, a book 
of psalm times full of dog's ears, and a broken 
pitch-pipe. As to the books and furniture of 
the schoolhouse, they belonged to the commu- 
nity, excepting Cotton Mather's "History of 
Witchcraft," a New England Almanac, and a 
book of dreams and fortune-telling; in which 
last was a sheet of foolscap much scribbled 
and blotted, in several fruitless attempts to 
make a copy of verses in honor of the heiress 
of Van Tassel. These magical books and the 
poetic scrawl were forthwith consigned to the 
flames by Hans Van Ripper; who, from that 
time forward, determined to send his children 
no more to school, observing that he never 
knew any good come of this same reading 
and writing. Whatever money the school- 
master possessed, and he had received his 
quarter's pay but a day or two before, he 
must have had about his person at the time of 
his disappearance. 

The mysterious event caused much specu- 
lation at the church on the following Sunday. 
Knots of gazers and gossips were collected in 



v€)^V<» 



r« 



The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 55 

the churchyard, at the bridge, and at the spot 
where the hat and pumpkin had been found. 
The stories of Brouwer, of Bones, and a whole 
budget of others, were called to mind, and 
when they had diligently considered them all, 
and compared them with the symptoms of the 
present case, they shook their heads, and came 
to the conclusion, that Ichabod had been car- 
ried off by the galloping Hessian. As he was a 
bachelor, and in nobody's debt, nobody 
troubled his head any more about him; the 
school was removed to a different quarter of 
the Hollow, and another pedagogue reigned in 
his stead. 

It is true, an old farmer who had been down 
to New York on a visit several years after, and 
from whom this account of the ghostly adven- 
ture was received, brought home the intelli- 
gence that Ichabod Crane v/as still alive; that 
he had left the neighborhood partly through fear 
of the goblin and Hans Van Ripper, and 
partly in mortification at having been suddenly 
dismissed by the heiress; that he had changed 
his quarters to a distant part of the country; 
had kept school and studied law at the same 
time; had been admitted to the bar; turned 
politician; electioneered; written for the news- 
papers; and finally, had been made a Justice 



^iSPOi 



56 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 

of the Ten Pound Court. Brom Bones, too, 
who, shortly after his rivaPs disappearance, 
conducted the blooming Katrina in triumph to 
the altar, was observed to look exceedingly 
knowing whenever the story of Ichabod was 
related, and always burst into a hearty laugh 
at the mention of the pumpkin; which led 
some to suspect that he knew more about the 
matter than he chose to tell. 

The old country wives, however, who are 
the best judges of these matters, maintain to 
this day, that Ichabod was spirited away 
by supernatural means; and it is a favorite 
story often told about the neighborhood 
round the winter evening fire. The bridge 
became more than ever an object of 
superstitious awe; and that may be the 
reason why the road has been altered of late 
years, so as to approach the church by the 
border of the mill-pond. The schoolhouse, 
being deserted, soon fell to decay, and was re- 
ported to be havmted by the ghost of the unfor- 
tunate pedagogue; and the plough-boy, loiter- 
ing homeward of a still summer evening, has 
often fancied his voice at a distance, chanting 
a melancholy psalm tune among the tranquil 
solitudes of Sleepy Hollow. 




ostscript 



Found in the handwriting 
of Mr. Knickerbocker. 



56 



POSTSCRIPT. 



found in tDe Ranawritins of mr. 
Knickerbocker. 

THE preceding Tale is given, almost in 
the precise words in which I heard it 
related at a Corporation meeting of the 
ancient city of Manhattoes,* at which were 
present many of its sagest and most illustrious 
burghers. The narrator was a pleasant, 
shabby, gentlemanly old fellow in pepper-and- 
salt clothes, with a sadly humorous face; and 
one whom I strongly suspected of being poor — 
he made such efforts to be entertaining. When 
his story was concluded there was much 
laughter and approbation, particularly from 
two or three deputy aldermen, who had been 
asleep the greater part of the time. There 
was, however, one tall, dry-looking old gen- 
tleman, with beetling eyebrows, who main- 
tained a grave and rather severe face through- 
out; now and then folding his arms, inclining 
his head, and looking down upon the floor, as 
if turning a doubt over in his mind. He was 



*Wew York. 



57 



fH^^'^i 



^G. 



58 



Postscript 



one of your wary men, who never laugh but 
upon good grounds — when they have reason 
and the law on their side. When the mirth of 
the rest of the company had subsided, and 
silence was restored, he leaned one arm on the 
elbow of his chair, and sticking the other 
a-kimbo, demanded, with a slight but exceed- 
ingly sage motion of the head, and contraction 
of the brow, what was the moral of the story, 
and what it went to prove. 

The story-teller, who was just putting a glass 
of wine to his lips, as a refreshment after his 
toils, paused for a moment, looked at his 
inquirer with an air of infinite deference, and 
lowering the glass slowly to the table, ob- 
served that the story was intended most logi- 
cally to prove : — 

"That there is no situation in life but has its 
advantages and pleasures — provided we will 
but take a joke as we find it : 

"That, therefore, he that runs races with 
goblin troopers, is likely to have rough riding 
of it: 

"Ergo, for a coimtry schoolmaster to be 
refused the hand of a Dutch heiress, is a cer- 
tain step to high preferment in the state." 

The cautious old gentleman knit his brows 



B^^^r 



Postscript 



59 



ten-fold closer after this explanation, being 
sorely puzzled by the ratiocination of the 
syllogism; while, methought, the one in pepper- 
and-salt eyed liirn with something of a tri- 
umphant leer. At length he observed, that all 
this was very well, but still he thought the 
story a little on the extravagant — there were 
one or two points on which he had his doubts. 
"Faith, sir," replied the story-teller, "as to 
that matter, I don't beUeve one-half of it 
myself." D. K. 



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